<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > mysterious isoptera insect kingdom</h1>
When it comes to isoptera insects, many people feel very strange, but if you talk about the most representative insects in these insects, termites, people will not be unfamiliar, this is a group of insects that have been frequently concerned since ancient times.
(In 2007, isoptera was withdrawn and classified as cockroaches, which is temporarily used in this article to describe isoptera)
Chinese was one of the first people to observe and document termites. As early as the book "Guangzhi" written by Guo Yigong in the Jin Dynasty, there are records of termites. In ancient Chinese texts, the so-called wood ants are termites, and flying ants may be termites and ants breeding ants. Although it is impossible to know whether Guo Yigong was a member of the Western Jin Dynasty or the Eastern Jin Dynasty, even in the last years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it has a history of more than 1600 years. In addition, in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty by The Southern Song Dynasty Luo Yuan, there are also detailed descriptions of isoptera insects, and it seems that humans have known isoptera insects many years ago.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > long racial history and distribution</h1>
In fact, isoptera is also a relatively primitive group of insects. According to paleontological research, it is speculated that the ancestors of termites probably appeared on Earth in the Triassic period or even earlier. In Burmese amber during the Cretaceous period, countless isoptera insects were also found.
In terms of phylogenetic research, we already know that isoptera are closely related to cockroaches, and these three types of insects may have originated from a common ancestor.
Phylogeny researchers have speculated that it is possible that in the early Mesozoic Era, many gymnosperms gradually declined, and the rise of angiosperms had a great influence on their ancestors, prompting their ancestors to evolve in many directions.
Isoptera is extremely widely distributed , but most species are distributed between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Of course, there will also be some species that have successfully spread to areas with colder temperatures, and in China, for example, the northernmost distribution of isoptera insects that have been found can reach Dandong, Liaoning. In terms of living environment, most isoptera insects do not inhabit high altitudes, and low-altitude, warmer and wood-rich virgin forests are one of their favorite living environments.
Of course, a small number of isoptera insects will also have a high altitude distribution phenomenon.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the grading of breeding ants</h1>
Isoptera is a social group of insects. In a termite nest, all individuals are not simply grouped together, but have a tight proportion and a clear division of labor. In terms of their biological types, termite colonies are divided into two main categories, namely breeding ants and non-breeding ants.
The main differences between the two types are that breeding ants are generally larger and non-breeding ants are relatively small; breeding ants have fully developed reproductive organs, while non-breeding ants do not have fully developed reproductive organs and have no reproductive capacity; There are fewer breeding ants and more non-breeding ants. In these two types, different grades are subdivided, and their status and division of labor are also different.
First, the first class of breeding ants is called the primordial king and queen. Individuals of this grade are individuals with winged adults that can multiply after marriage and mating. Among them, male individuals are called ant kings, and female individuals are called queens. In termite nests, most have only one pair of queens and queens, but there are also some taxa that have multiple pairs of queens and queens. The more common black-winged termite in China will even have five or six ant kings and eight or nine queens in the early stage of nesting.
The second class of breeding ants is called short-winged complementing king and queen. They are usually lighter in color and have the structure of wing buds. Usually the primary function of this grade of breeding ants is emergency response. When the original ant king and queen are lost or die due to special reasons, the short-winged supplemental king and queen will directly develop into the replacement king and queen. Of course, not all termite colonies have reproductive ants of this grade, and the number of breeding ants of this grade varies according to termite species.
The third grade of breeding ants is called wingless replenishment king and queen. The reproductive ant function of this grade is also the queen's record, but it is developed from wingless onsites into supplementary ant kings and queens. They tend to be lighter in color and do not have compound eyes. In contrast, wingless replacement of king and queen ant is more rare, and is usually only possible in groups that have completely lost the original king and queen.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the grading of non-breeding ants</h1>
There are only two grades of non-breeding ants, namely worker ants and soldier ants. Among them, worker ants are the grade with the largest number of individuals in termite nests, but even so, there are a few termite nests that have no worker ants at all. Although worker ants do not have the ability to reproduce, the tasks they undertake the most include nest building, cleaning nests, opening roads, carrying ants and caring for young ants, and it is worth mentioning that there are also large morphological differences in some termite worker ants.
The second is the soldier ant, which is far from the worker ant ratio in number, but more than the number of breeding ants. Most of the termite nests have soldier ants, and only a very small number of species have been found to lack soldier ants, and the main role of soldier ants is to defend the enemy. When a nest has invading enemies, soldier ants will fight to the death. Because the mouthparts of the soldier ants have been specialized as weapons against the enemy, they have basically lost the ability to feed themselves and need to be fed by the worker ants to survive.
Like worker ants, some termite soldier ants have morphological differences.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > habits and body structures of other winged insects</h1>
Almost all isoptera insects have nesting habits. But there are exceptions, some species do not have the habit of building nests, they live in the nests of other animals. In addition, many termites will also have other invertebrates to board, some of them will form a mutually beneficial relationship with termites, insects and these invertebrates call termite "diners".
The outer form of isoptera isoptera is small, dark or milky white, and its antennae are rosary. Because it is divided into multiple grades, there are great differences in the morphology between different grades. The heads of termites are mostly round or oval, while the heads of some soldier ants and worker ants are nearly square, pear-shaped or tapered, and have a large degree of specialization. Depending on the grade of the termite, there will also be differences in structure.
Although isoptera insects are distributed worldwide, not many species have been found. So far, more than 5,000 species of isoptera have been found worldwide, while fewer than 500 isoptera species have been found in China. Compared to other insects, isoptera is one of the most troublesome insect species for scientists, and their sociality and social behavior are still a mystery in the animal kingdom.